WEBVTT 00:00.000 --> 00:14.320 This is Hacker Public Radio episode 3,922 for Tuesday the 15th of August 2023. 00:14.320 --> 00:17.840 Today's show is entitled Silent Key. 00:17.840 --> 00:20.440 It is part of the series Ham Radio. 00:20.440 --> 00:24.520 It is hosted by Tray and is about four minutes long. 00:24.520 --> 00:27.160 It carries a clean flag. 00:27.160 --> 00:42.360 This summary is a brief history of the term Silent Key as applied to amateur radio. 00:42.360 --> 00:46.680 Hello this is Tray and I am recording this in the shadow of the loss of a good friend 00:46.680 --> 00:52.600 and mentor who helped guide me in my career and in my hobbies, like electronics, aviation 00:52.600 --> 00:54.360 and amateur radio. 00:54.360 --> 01:00.240 The amateur radio area is what I will be discussing today. 01:00.240 --> 01:05.040 Many terms with an amateur radio find their origins from the days of telegraph. 01:05.040 --> 01:10.360 When operators would use more code to send messages across great distances using wires 01:10.360 --> 01:13.120 strong from one pole to another. 01:13.120 --> 01:19.120 The telegraph key or code key was basically a momentary contact switch which would close 01:19.120 --> 01:22.000 an electrical connection when pressed. 01:22.000 --> 01:26.640 Using the key down for a short period of time would send a short pulse down the line which 01:26.640 --> 01:29.240 is referred to as a DIT. 01:29.240 --> 01:32.480 Sometimes the term used was DIT. 01:32.480 --> 01:36.720 This may also be written using the period symbol. 01:36.720 --> 01:42.000 Holding the key down for a bit longer would send a longer pulse down the line called a DASH 01:42.000 --> 01:45.440 sometimes referred to as a DIT. 01:45.440 --> 01:49.160 And it may be written using the hyphen symbol. 01:49.160 --> 01:53.360 Telegraph operators became a close knit community even though they were geographically 01:53.360 --> 01:55.000 separated. 01:55.000 --> 02:01.160 Often one operator could identify another operator by subtleties in the style or personality 02:01.160 --> 02:03.640 of how they sent their messages. 02:03.640 --> 02:06.920 This was known as the operator's fist. 02:06.920 --> 02:11.400 Today we would describe it as a behavioral biometric. 02:11.400 --> 02:17.320 As the community of telegraph operators moved around or were replaced, new fists would 02:17.320 --> 02:25.080 be identified as new personalities of code sending were tapped out on the telegraph keys. 02:25.080 --> 02:29.920 When an operator passed away it was a loss to the community and a loss of someone who 02:29.920 --> 02:34.600 might have been befriended remotely by other operators. 02:34.600 --> 02:40.160 The term of respect created for this situation was silent key. 02:40.160 --> 02:43.240 Sent as an abbreviation S.K. 02:43.240 --> 02:46.200 Sierra Kilo. 02:46.200 --> 02:50.960 It meant that the particular operator would never send code again. 02:50.960 --> 02:54.960 His telegraph key would be silent. 02:54.960 --> 03:00.120 This tradition has been carried on among amateur radio operators or hands. 03:00.120 --> 03:03.120 This is also a close knit community of people. 03:03.120 --> 03:10.600 While some may still use more code to communicate, refer to as CW for continuous wave. 03:10.600 --> 03:15.520 There are many other forms in use including voice and digital modes. 03:15.520 --> 03:20.880 Regardless of how we communicated with them, when we lose one of our own, we still 03:20.880 --> 03:23.400 say they are S.K. 03:23.400 --> 03:25.680 Silent Key. 03:25.680 --> 03:29.640 No longer able to transmit. 03:29.640 --> 03:36.680 Organizations like the amateur radio relay league and QRZ.com try to update their records 03:36.680 --> 03:38.640 when a ham passes away. 03:38.640 --> 03:45.480 There are also databases like SilentKeeHQ.com which keep records and memories of deceased 03:45.560 --> 03:47.960 operators. 03:47.960 --> 03:52.080 So it is with great sadness that I have been updating the records from a close friend 03:52.080 --> 03:59.080 and mentor, Kilo Victor 4 Yankee Delta KV4YD. 03:59.080 --> 04:03.680 Thank you for your friendship and support and for sharing your wisdom over the years. 04:03.680 --> 04:06.600 You will be missed. 04:06.600 --> 04:12.560 Note, there is intentionally five seconds of recorded silence at the end of this recording 04:12.560 --> 04:15.680 as a moment of silence to remember our silent keys. 04:43.560 --> 04:49.000 You have been listening to Hacker Public Radio at Hacker Public Radio.org. 04:49.000 --> 04:53.320 Today's show was contributed by a HBR listening like yourself. 04:53.320 --> 04:59.600 If you ever thought of recording podcast, click on our contribute link to find out how easy it 04:59.600 --> 05:08.040 means hosting for HBR has been kindly provided by an onsthost.com, the internet archive and our 05:08.080 --> 05:09.040 synced of net. 05:09.040 --> 05:15.040 On the satellite stages, today's show is released on our 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